HAVRE, Mont. – Bismarck State women's basketball continued its Montana road swing on Sunday with a Frontier Conference matchup against MSU-Northern, taking on another ranked team to close out their back-to-back weekend.
The Mystics opened the afternoon trading baskets with the Skylights, responding to early threes from MSUN with perimeter answers of their own. BSC connected on five triples in the first quarter to stay within reach, trailing 27-19 after 10 minutes. But the Lights seized control in the second quarter, shooting a blistering 14-of-16 from the field and outscoring the Mystics 32-16 to build a commanding 59-35 advantage at halftime.
BSC came out of the break with one of its strongest frames of the season. The Mystics tightened defensively and exploded on offense, hitting seven of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc in the third quarter alone. Stormer, Dauenhauer, and Lawrence combined for 24 points in the period as BSC outscored the Lights 28-17 to trim the margin to 76-63 heading into the fourth.
The Mystics carried that momentum into the early stages of the final quarter, but MSU-Northern again found timely answers. Every BSC push was met with a counterpunch from the Skylights—whether in the paint, in transition, or from the three-point line. Northern rebuilt a 20-point cushion midway through the frame and maintained control down the stretch, closing out the 104-80 win.
Kennedy Stormer recorded her first double-double of the year with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, knocking down four threes and playing a team-high 35 minutes. Kali Dauenhauer added 15 points on 3-of-8 shooting from deep, while Alionna Lawrence and Aleah McPherson each contributed nine. In total, BSC hit 16 three-pointers, good for 45.7 percent from beyond the arc, and went 26-for-58 from the field.
MSU-Northern countered with a highly efficient offensive showing, finishing 41-of-81 from the floor and 17-of-36 from three. Becky Melcher led with 25 points on 7-for-13 from deep, while Ciera Agasiva and Canzas HisBadHorse added 14 and 13, respectively. The Skylights had an impressive five scorers in double figures and held a 42-14 advantage in points in the paint, as well as a 28-2 margin in points off turnovers.
With the loss, Bismarck State moves to 1-7 overall and 1-4 in Frontier Conference play. MSU-Northern improves to 6-2 and 4-1 in conference action.
The Mystics get a day off before continuing a demanding December stretch, as they travel to Grand Forks for a Division-I meeting against North Dakota (1-9) on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
The game will be followed by road conference matchups against No. 16 Carroll (Mont.) and No. 15 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Dec. 12 and 13. BSC will close the month with a Dec. 31 crosstown trip to face UMary (N.D.), and will return home on Friday, Jan. 2, at 5 p.m. to host Montana Tech.
Check out the women's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their upcoming games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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